Move to Texas Method or Stick with Advanced Novice

[DrFeelG00D]

Does anyone have knowledge on the criteria for when to switch to Texas Method?
Do my numbers look right?
Specifically I have 2 stalls on squats, 3 on Deadlifts (yes I will switch to 5lb jumps), and am currently hitting the wall on the press and bench ( 2.5 lb jumps). Clean is still going up.
With squats on Mondays I usually fail a couple reps in the second and third working sets, then when I attempt the weight again on Friday I have been getting all 3 sets (I do a light squat day on Wednesdays 2x5)

Hi OP,
As a relative noob to SS (started 3/12) with similar stats to you (27 @ ~215 body weight), I thought I would toss out some ideas for you. Based on what you have said, I believe that you have a lot left to gain with the novice LP over the intermediate programs. If you are consistently stalling on all of your lifts, perhaps you should re-evaluate your split and volume. If I were in your shoes, I would fall back to the original SS program, remove cleans and weighted chins from your split, maybe drop all weights back 5-10%, and continue the novice LP and push for squats, bp, press, and deadlifts on the workout A/B schedule. I personally have had to drop my weights to better my DL technique so I still DL multiple times per week. If 365 makes DL only doable once a week for you, keep cleans in. If weights are still not going up, your technique, rest periods, and/or recovery should probably be evaluated as well. I do believe though that if you scale back your volume, you'll be squatting 365 and deadlifting 405 in no time.

[Greg Ruhl]

188# at 6'0 seems like more food is in order.

[Satch12879]

This whole thing is geared at novices, middle-aged men, soccer moms, high school kids, retirees.

Most of you guys were those people once.

Most people stay that way forever.

These days around here seems to be a gross, unwilling ignorance of both, but especially the second fact.

No one gives a shit about this minutiae, because most will never need it and the rest have gotten this shit together.

Most people don't have a competing product to hock. They have real jobs, families, ailing children and parents. They don't give a shit about who touched who where when.

This bickering and retreading of butthurt for people's past failures is fucking pointless.

[marcf]

These days around here seems to be a gross, unwilling ignorance of both, but especially the second fact.

No one gives a shit about this minutiae, because most will never need it and the rest have gotten this shit together.

And yet they're in here, asking the questions.

[DeadliftsForDave]

Thank you kindly for this response. I took this advice and I thought I would give you the results.

I've been playing around with going back basic Novice LP in this month of May. I rest a long time between sets now 7-8 mins (workouts take forever) but I'm doing the basic Novice LP: A-B split with weighted chin-ups on A day (Squat, OHP, Deads) only. Kept the cleans to Saturdays as I would come in (regardless if I did deadlifts friday) and do Power cleans and Power snatches for tecnhique work, moderate weights.

Deadlift has gone up to 380, Squat has elevated to 335, OHP slight increase to 160, Bench increase to 235.

First hand experience is always valuable. I hope your lifts are going up as well. Appreciate ya

[DeadliftsForDave]

Hi OP,
As a relative noob to SS (started 3/12) with similar stats to you (27 @ ~215 body weight), I thought I would toss out some ideas for you. Based on what you have said, I believe that you have a lot left to gain with the novice LP over the intermediate programs. If you are consistently stalling on all of your lifts, perhaps you should re-evaluate your split and volume. If I were in your shoes, I would fall back to the original SS program, remove cleans and weighted chins from your split, maybe drop all weights back 5-10%, and continue the novice LP and push for squats, bp, press, and deadlifts on the workout A/B schedule. I personally have had to drop my weights to better my DL technique so I still DL multiple times per week. If 365 makes DL only doable once a week for you, keep cleans in. If weights are still not going up, your technique, rest periods, and/or recovery should probably be evaluated as well. I do believe though that if you scale back your volume, you'll be squatting 365 and deadlifting 405 in no time.

Thank you kindly for this response. I took this advice and I thought I would give you the results.

I've been playing around with going back basic Novice LP in this month of May. I rest a long time between sets now 7-8 mins (workouts take forever) but I'm doing the basic Novice LP: A-B split with weighted chin-ups on A day (Squat, OHP, Deads) only. Kept the cleans to Saturdays as I would come in (regardless if I did deadlifts friday) and do Power cleans and Power snatches for tecnhique work, moderate weights.

Deadlift has gone up to 380, Squat has elevated to 335, OHP slight increase to 160, Bench increase to 235.

First hand experience is always valuable. I hope your lifts are going up as well. Appreciate ya

[Cole Gorton]

I was stressed about this too, after 14 weeks of Novice LP I decided to go to TM. I had stalled a few times, took a few resets, and had to start doing back off sets for advanced novice phase. the workouts were fucking me up, and even though i probably could have done a few more weeks, i decided to chill out and start the TM with a slight deload of weight. It turned out to be a great decision as my lifts are going up dramatically faster and easier than they were on Novice. Just take the jump to intermediate and stop spinning the wheels so much. good luck

[DeadliftsForDave]

I was stressed about this too, after 14 weeks of Novice LP I decided to go to TM. I had stalled a few times, took a few resets, and had to start doing back off sets for advanced novice phase. the workouts were fucking me up, and even though i probably could have done a few more weeks, i decided to chill out and start the TM with a slight deload of weight. It turned out to be a great decision as my lifts are going up dramatically faster and easier than they were on Novice. Just take the jump to intermediate and stop spinning the wheels so much. good luck

This is also quality advice. By July I plan to make the jump to intermediate programing. Perhaps I tried to squeeze too much out of novice LP for my genetics, but I am super happy with my progress so far and thankful for this awesome community